HST (Hypertrophy-Specific Training)

Has anyone done the HST program? It popped right up in a Google search, but no one's mentioned it on MDA in the last year. I had stalled on Stronglifts 3x5 and was looking for something different, something more about hypertrophy over strength.

Here's a quick overview of HST.

- For 9-12 days, do nothing. They call this strategic deconditioning, which lets your muscles respond to very light loads. Yeah, that sounds kinda made up to me too.
- Weeks 1 & 2: Pick a bunch of exercises. Work out three times a week. Do every exercise (no split) for 1 set, 15 reps. Start light and bump up the weight each workout, until you reach your 15 rep max at the last workout.
- Weeks 3 & 4: Same thing, but do 2 sets of 10 for each exercise. Start light, work up to 10 rep max at the last workout.
- Weeks 5 & 6: Same thing, but with 3 sets of 5. Work up to 5 RM.
- Weeks 7 & 8: Some flexibility here, just do heavy stuff. Negatives, drop sets, continue with your 5 RM, or try to improve it.

I'm so used to doing 2-5 reps that this 15 rep stuff is a bit of a shock. Feels great though! I'm going to have to make some tweaks (no way am I doing 3 sets of deadlifts 3 times a week). But I was wondering if anyone here had tried it.

"Don't go in there, General, it's a trap! That's a grain chamber. It makes people like you into people like me."

I used to do higher rep or hypertrophy workouts until I stated to get tendonitis in my elbows and arthritis (keep in mind I was 24 at the time) in my shoulders. I quit doing that after I shoulder surgery and now follow the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle to weightlifting; go big or go home. I hit it hard for about 45 minutes doing nothing but multijoint strongman style excercises and never break 6 reps for a set, ever. I am WAY stronger than I was when I was weight lifting for size and about 20 pound lighter.

It all depends on your goals though, if yuo want to just "get big" and damn the negative health effects to hell than by all means do all those isolation excercises and other things. My personal goals are just to be strong and maitain or slowly gain mass.